When I mention transitional clothing during my seminars, I often face a sea of puzzled looks.
That is because we tend to think of clothing as seasonal,so we do not really know how to dress as we move from one season to the next.
This is important because we do not want to be caught freezing or burning up in our beautiful dress-for-success suit.
It is as deadly to your career success to stand out in a gray wool suit on a hot day in June, as it is to be wearing white linen in October.
There are three things to remember about transitional clothing: color, fabric, and timing.
COLOR Transitional colors tend to be those colors you can wear year round.
Think neutrals: black, navy, brown, gray, camel and beige.
These transitional colors are timeless and sometimes the staples of your wardrobe.
FABRIC Transitional fabrics can be worn year round, if you understand the concept of layering.
Think rayon, knits, and lightweight wools and modern synthetics.
These are great crossover fabrics that can help you look fresh and seasonal without killing your budget.
Carry coordinating jackets and sweaters in these fabrics and you can be ready for almost any sudden changes in weather.
TIMING Next to fit and fashion, timing is everything with transitional fabrics.
Do not consider summer colors in a snowstorm or winter weight wools in 90-degree weather, that can happen during the transitional months between seasons.
Some of the old rules are changing-you can wear linen into September and depending on where you live perhaps a tad longer, if you wear darker colors.
The old 'no white after Labor Day' rule has eased up a bit BUT no white shoes or sandals after Labor Day PLEASE.
So next time you are shopping think about purchasing a few transitional garments.
You will get a lot of wear out of them, and you will be set with your wardrobe when the seasons start to change.